Top Ten Guilty Pleasure Movies of All Time Part 33 1/3

Introduction

For those of you that are new to this series of hubs, this is essentially a list of movies that I like that aren't necessarily good; hence the term "guilty pleasures films." Now, I'm sure many of you readers out there like quite a few notoriously bad films that you know are not very good, but you still enjoy them for whatever reasons.

Well, this hub series is dedicated to those type of films, where I'll be listing a new top ten list of movies that I like that I know aren't necessarily that good. At least, they aren't considered good by most film critics anyway.

For those wondering about the title of this particular chapter, it's to pay homage to the film, "Naked Gun 33 1/3", which was the final movie to the epic "Naked Gun" film franchise. However, it's really just part three of this hub series, so I wouldn't take the title of this article seriously.

Also, please take in mind that NONE OF THESE MOVIES would ever make it into my all time favorite films list, but they're guilty pleasures that I find myself enjoying from time to time.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading this new chapter, as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Without further delay, let's start the show....

If you'd like to see the previous chapters in this series before reading this list, then please click on any of the links below

Top Ten Guilty Pleasure Movies of All TimeStevennix2001's top ten guilty pleasure films of all time. These are essentially a list of films that most people would hate, but stevennix2001 loves for whatever reasons.

30. Space Jam

It seems like it was only yesterday that "Space Jam" was once considered one of the best films of all time in my eyes. Back when I was a wee lad, I used to have many fond memories of this film. Not only was a huge Michael Jordan fan growing up, but I was also a huge Looney Tunes fan as well. Therefore, you can imagine how much a young sixteen year old version of me must've felt watching this movie for the first time. It was like the film spoke to me on so many levels.

It spoke to the kid in me that still relished watching cartoons, but it also spoke to who I was a teenager. A shy socially awkward kid that loved the NBA at the time. Add in Wayne Knight from the popular series, "Seinfeld", along with one of my favorite actors of all time in Bill Murray, and you pretty much can understand why I came to love this movie so much when I was younger. But does it still hold up?

Eh not really. Apart from the nostalgia value of this film, the story doesn't hold up all that well. Sure, it's easy to see why I loved this film so much as a kid, as my fan worship of Michael Jordan obviously clouded my better judgment. But when you look at this movie from an objective point of view, the story is rather weak, and most of the jokes throughout this film aren't that funny.

Lola Bunny is a lame one note character designed specifically to become Bug's girlfriend of the film, while adding nothing to the overall story. Plus, the animation is a bit inconsistent, as you can tell Michael is playing in front blue screen half the time.

However, the fourth wall jokes are funny, and the film does have it's moments as well. Of course, I know many critics of this film will say that "Space Jam" is nothing more than a bulls*** story built to kiss Michael's proverbial a**; while enforcing commercialism over substance. I can't disagree with those complaints, but "Space Jam" holds a lot of nostalgia for me personally.

Granted, I'll never go out my way to say it's a great movie by any means, but it's certainly better than what most critics will have you believe. As long as you don't expect too much out of the movie itself, then you should be fine with it. "Space Jam" may not be a great family film, but it's fairly decent for what it is. And if you're a huge Michael Jordan fan, then chances are you'll probably like it okay; assuming you can look past the commercialism aspects of it.

29. Batman: The Movie

I remember when I first saw this film as a child that I thought it was one of the stupidest pieces of s*** ever made. In fact, I still recall making fun of it with my brother about how moronic it was. However, as I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate it a lot more.

Whether you like this film or not, this was the epic Batman franchise that made Batman what he is today. If it had not been for Adam West's original version, then we never would've gotten great Batman stories down the line because West made Batman a household name.

Is the film stupid and cheesy as hell? You bet your sweet a** it is, but that's part of the fun. It's one of those zany over the top corny superhero flicks that's so hilariously bad that you can't help but like it anyway.

28. Meteor Man

Robert Townsend once said in "Hollywood Shuffle" that he wanted to be the first black "Superman" on the big screen, and he certainly got his wish in "Meteor Man", who rips off quite a bit from "Superman." Granted, the origin stories for "Superman" and "Meteor Man" are vastly different. One being from another planet, while the other got his powers from a meteor in space.

However, if you look at their powers though, then you'll notice they're almost identical to each other; hence I think it's a safe bet that Robert Townsend ripped off...er...I...I...I mean had his film take a few influences from "Superman."

And if you think the whole glasses thing to cover up one's identity is stupid, then you'll love this. In "Meteor Man", Jefferson Reed/Meteor Man (Robert Townsend) never wears a mask, or any glasses either. Nope, he wears nothing to cover his face, yet people don't recognize him, when he's in his costume. Of course, we find out later that it's part of a gag, as the film pokes fun at how some people tend to think all minorities look alike. Um...clever?

Granted, I'll be the first to admit the story is rather....well for lack of a better term....stupid.. And, most of the characters tend to fall within generic stereotypes (i.e. the golden lords and mafia), and it's arguably one of the corniest films ever made as well.

However, the movie is still a lot of fun to watch, as Robert Townsend manages to bring in a nice mix of drama and comedy to make it interesting. A lot of the jokes were funny, and all the actors had a solid chemistry together. I especially loved how the film poked fun at a lot of the cliches of the superhero genre itself, as that was kind of interesting.

Plus, the film has a moral that speaks true to real life situations. In one particular scene, Jefferson starts to lose his powers because the effects of the meteor are wearing off, so the neighborhood has a meeting to vote him out of town because they fear the gangs in that area will come back.

Upon finding out about this secret meeting, Jefferson agrees to leave. However, he does give quite a speech first, as he says the following:

"You don't have to vote. I'll leave. I'm sorry about what happened to the neighborhood tonight. But I feel even sorrier watching what's going on in this room. How can we stop the crime and the gangs if we act like we don't see them? Everyone complains about the police. They aren't perfect. But how can you complain when you do nothing? You don't have to vote."

In a sad way, this speech speaks true to reality. Some of us see violence and crime everyday in our lives, yet we won't say anything because of fear. Whether it's fear of being labeled as a snitch, or fear of facing dire consequences. The sad thing is that even though most of us boast about creating a better world free of crime, but seldom few ever have the guts to make that a reality. "Meteor Man" might be a stupid cheap knock off of "Superman", but the moral alone that it presents makes it worth seeing. It's a strong message that future generations should heed to because if we want to make the world better, then we can't just wish for it happen. We have to make it happen.

27. Blankman

If you think "Meteor Man" is corny as hell, then you ain't seen nothing yet until you see "Blankman." In sort of a homage to the original Adam West "Batman" TV show, "Blankman" is essentially a superhero that decides to fight crime after the death of his grandmother.

Unlike "Batman" though, Daryl Walker/Blankman (Damon Wayans) is broke, so he ends up creating a lot of his crime fighting gadgets out of junk that he finds. It's actually quite interesting to see what he comes up with in this movie, as he features all sorts of weapons made from garbage. Weapons such as a boot boomerang that's made from an actual boot, or something like electric nunchuks made from used lawnmower parts.

Hell, he even creates a servant by the name of J Five, who happens to be a talking robot that he created from a beat up washing machine.

Throughout the film, the story pays heavy homage to the classic Batman TV series starring Adam West, while poking fun at a lot of the other superhero cliches of the past as well. Hell, they even have some of the corny sound effects and word captions, during some of the fight scenes like you'd see in the Adam West show back in the day.

Granted, I doubt most people would like this film, but if you're into cheesy stupid movies, then you'll definitely love this one.

26. Dumb and Dumber

Speaking of dumb films, this one certainly lives up it's name. "Dumb and Dumber" has arguably the stupidest plot in the freaking world, and the character development of the two main protagonists are non existent. Not only do these characters not grow to learn anything from their misadventures, but it seems like the characters are derived from a one note premise to do as much stupid crap as humanly possible. It's almost like watching a "Three Stooges" comedy to some degree.

You know they're going to do something stupid, while the characters don't grow from their experiences because the story was never about that to begin with. Like the stooges, "Dumb and Dumber's" main emphasis was on the comedy aspects of the characters doing moronic things in various situations. Granted, it's a thin premise work around, but Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels pull it off perfectly.

Both actors have great comedic timing, and they compliment each other quite well. "Dumb and Dumber" is a stupid film, but that's part of it's charm. It's not trying to tell any kind of deep narrative, but rather entertain you with it's array of moronic stupidity; which it succeeds at quite well.

25. Love Stinks

In an era where GOOD romantic comedies are getting harder to find, it's refreshing to see some form of originality come from Hollywood. "Love Stinks" may not be the best romantic comedy in the world, nor would I recommend it for everyone.

However, if you're yearning to see a different kind of romantic comedy on a Friday night, then "Love Stinks" might worth checking out. The film centers around a couple that's been together for years, but they have something of a rocky relationship. After living together for awhile, they finally decide to break up, but the girlfriend doesn't handle it all too well; hence she sues him in the court of law. Even though they never married, it seems that California laws allowed her get over half of what he owned as if they were married.

Needless to say, this starts a chain reaction of bitterness and hostility between the two, as they're forced to live together again, as this trial goes on between them. I won't spoil it for readers, but the end result of this film is nothing but pure insanity.

Granted, the film features a lot of stereotypical characters, and a lot of goofy moments. However, that's what so fun about it. Just when you think you know exactly where the story is going, the movie itself turns around to do something else.

Sure, "Love Stinks" may not be a great romantic comedy, but it's definitely one of the more original ones out there.

Warning: Contains violence with guns. Parental Discretion is Advised

24. Major League II

Believe it or not, "Major League II" actually has a lower critic rating on "Rotten Tomatoes" than any of the infamous "Twilight" films. Yes, I'm dead serious, as this movie currently sits on a five percent critic rating; which suggests it's worse than any of the "Twilight" movies. Ouch. But is it really that bad?

If you compare it to the first one, then I can easily see why most people wouldn't like this movie. The first one was arguably an underrated classic for it's time. It was essentially a heartfelt love story about second chances disguised as an underdog sports film. Sure, the movie still had the same tropes and cliches that most underdog sport movies had, but that wasn't the main focus of "Major League."

No, the main focus was on Jake Taylor, who was a broken down catcher with bad knees trying to get his life back. He cheated on his girlfriend years ago, and he's been regretting it ever since. As luck would have it, he manages to meet up with her again. Although they still have feelings for one another, she's already moved on with her life. Or has she?

The love story between these two can come off as sweet and genuine. And unlike most love stories of today's generation, "Major League" didn't settle for any cheap cliches either. Granted, "Major League" was a bit silly at times, but it was a fun film about second chances that still resonates well to this day.

Sadly, all that is thrown away by "Major League II." Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying "Major League II" is a bad film per say, as I certainly enjoyed it. However, unlike the last one, this one was basically nothing more than a straight up underdog sports film; riddled with the same old tropes and cliches that come with these types of films. Sure, there was a romance thrown in for Rick Vaughn, who be this sequel's protagonist. However, the romance wasn't the focus of the movie.

No, the entire premise of the movie revolved around the concept of Ricky Vaughn losing his mojo during the off season because his success has gone to his head. Now he has to get it back. Think "Rocky III" if it were more of a comedy, and it was about a baseball pitcher instead of a boxer, then you should get the idea. Of course, it doesn't help that some of the main plot points are exactly the same as the first one, and most of the supporting characters fall within generic stereotypes.

Heck, the editing isn't even that great either at times, as there's one scene when Rube gets his catcher's helmet knocked off during a play. Yet when we go in for a close up of his face, his helmet is still on?!? How the hell did that happen? Oh well. I guess this film relies on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

However, "Major League II" isn't that bad of a movie. Sure, it has it's flaws, and it's probably one of the most forgettable underdog sport films ever made. But on the other hand, the film is still very funny, and the characters are likable enough to keep you invested.

23. Battlefield Earth

It's no secret that "Battlefield Earth" is considered one of the worst science fiction films of all time, by many film critics out there. However, I actually find myself enjoying this one simply because of how lame it is. Like "Battleship", this film tries so hard to take itself seriously that it comes off being unintentionally laughable at times.

With half a** written script filled with plot holes, it's really not that hard to see why most people wouldn't like this movie. Hell, when you judge this movie objectively on it's own, it's terrible. The script is a joke. The characters are poorly written, and John Travolta's acting makes him seem like a generic cartoon bad guy than an actual character. Plus, the constant tilted camera angle doesn't help much either.

Yet when you watch this film, you can almost tell they were trying to make "Battlefield Earth" into this epic science fiction film. Yet, it just turns out to be one of the most poorly designed ones of all time. Like the "Last Dragon", I usually love watching this film mainly because it's one of those rare bad movies that you love to make fun of.

Everything from the over acting of John Travolta to the lame a** plot that makes little to no sense makes film is simply a riot to watch. Heck, even the cinematography is horrible, as almost every shot is at an angle for Pete's sakes. Overall, I would definitely recommend it if you're one of these people that loves to mock horrendously bad films.

22. Ghostbusters 2

I'll try to keep my thoughts on this particular film brief because I do plan to write a full review on it, in honor of the new reboot coming out fairly soon. However, I will say this much. The original was simply a classic. No question.

The second one? Not so much. Don't get me wrong, it's NOT a bad movie by any means. If anything, it's actually quite good. The story is fairly decent, and the characters are developed a bit more. However, the film tends to rip off too many elements from it's prequel that it reeks of un-originality Hell, there's even a few scenes, from the first one, the editor used in this film to save money, as you'd have to be a moron not to realize that.

Overall though, "Ghostbusters 2" isn't a bad follow up, but it lacks the original novelty that the first one had, which is why it's gotten a lot of mixed reviews by people. However, I still enjoy it, and if you're a huge fan of the franchise, then I'm sure you might as well.

21. Mortal Kombat

"Mortal Kombat" Is by all means a giant piece of crap, when you look at it. Outside of Christopher Lambert, the rest of the actors can't act for s***. The special effects look fake as hell; even by nineties' CGI standards. The story is mediocre, and the characters are poorly written as well. Plus, for a film that's based on a fighting game, all the fights look obliviously fake, as you can tell it was all choreographed.

Hell, I've seen professional wrestling matches that look more realistic than the fights you'll get from this flick.

However, the film has a great soundtrack that's easy to get into. And in spite of it's many flaws, the movie itself is actually quite fun to watch. The atmosphere the story creates seems very unique and original. The characters are likable enough to make you want to follow them; in spite of how poorly written they are.

And even though the fight scenes aren't particularly great, I will admit that they do have their own charm to them. Many of them ranging to being so over the top and cheesy that you can't help but be entertained by them.

Overall, I wouldn't say "Mortal Kombat" is a bad film per say, but I wouldn't call it a great one either. However, it's worth a rental if you're into martial arts style movies. I just wouldn't expect too much from it.

Comments

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Gavin Heinz 18 months agofrom Austin TX

I would have had Mac and Me but otherwise, I loved this list

kotobukijake 2 years ago

"Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."

Definitely a good call on the old Adam West Batman movie, and on Mortal Kombat. A few other possibilities: I'm sure Ed Wood is too easy a target, but I'd definitely put Plan 9 from Outer Space and Bride of the Monster on the list; the HORRIBLE Italian animated feature Titanic: The Legend Goes On... is simultaneously hilarious and horrifying; I do enjoy Santa Claus Conquers the Martians for its utter stupidity; I never quite got the hate for What's New, Pussycat?; practically all of Roger Moore's James Bond films are, honestly, contenders for a list of guilty pleasures, as are some of Pierce Brosnan's; I rather liked I Know What You Did Last Summer, and maybe even I Still Know What You Did Last Summer; I loved Wrong, even though no one else seemed to; Evil Bong is great; I quite enjoyed Leprechaun; etc. Also, you mention a couple of franchise-based movies that only really work for those familiar with the franchises; the second Bleach movie might make this list (the first one was too good to qualify). Anyway, this was a fun series of hubs, and I may have to look into some of your choices that I've missed.